On behalf of the Supervisor of Elections I warmly welcome you all to this recruitment assistant training. The Supervisor of Elections is currently engaged in another workshop and has sent his apologies.

The Fijian Elections Office will be commencing the recruitment drive for up to 17,000 election officials for the 2018 General Election from the 28th of July this year. This morning I am addressing the team that will carry out this massive task.

Over the course of your duties, you will come across thousands of Fijians who will by vying for the election Officials position. Applicants will come from diverse backgrounds and circumstances. Many will be new to open merits recruitment system, many will be new to computer based testing, many will be new to ‘having to apply without a CV and the list goes on.

The task you will be handling will be strenuous and will test your physical as well as your physiological limits. Always maintain your cool. You must always remember that the people you are dealing with will be the people who will deliver the 2018 General Election.

People generally can imagine the organization they are about to join by interacting with the recruitment teams. Thus it is important that you display the highest standards of customer service, honesty and integrity. The best way to achieve this is by following the recruitment processes that we have designed for this project. Customer service is assessed firstly based on consistency and that is what we would like to uphold during this recruitment drive.

Every staff we employ must be approachable. FEO staff should be the first to greet the other person and this shows your humility. Don’t forget to smile. You will be setting an example to the people we will hire for next year.

It is imperative that you understand the roles and responsibilities which you need to carry out during the drive. This training will take you through the core aspects of the responsibilities. It will take you through technical concepts that you will have to master.

During the training, you will observe the different phases in which recruitment assistants will be required to work starting from the recruitment drive commencing this month to election announcement day in 2018.

The 3 days training is expected to be comprehensive, rigorous and demanding. The FEO expects that you fully interact in this training. Ask questions. Clarify any issues you may have. All these must be done within the 3 days.

Please do note that there is a test on the final day. Just attending the training for the 3 days does not automatically grant you a job as a recruitment assistant.

You must also prove through the final day test that you have fully understood the roles and responsibilities of a recruitment assistant and are ready to take up the challenge.

The Supervisor of Elections has given the responsibility for the recruitment of election officials to me. I would like to demonstrate that my team is capable and has the ability to handle this huge responsibility. We must work together.

In the event you are unable to handle a particular situation with a client then you must always refer it to your supervisor. We must demonstrate good customer service to external clients as well as within the FEO. If there are grievances, these must be properly raised through your supervisors.

Ladies and gentlemen the FEO expects that its recruitment assistants will be fully trained and qualified to assist in the recruitment of elections official for the 2018 General Elections. The FEO demands that you perform your role with commitment, dedication and with diligence.
With these words, I wish you all the best for the next 3 days in training and I hope you will find this training very productive, rewarding and useful in your work.